Poele



(No Model.)

. G. J. VAN DEPOELB.

POWER GONNEUTION FOR RAILWAY TRAINS;

No. 350,221. Patented Oct. 5, 16.

4 & H a, 5 b R Q\ U Q: i N l Ffi I: H vb b v/ /iim ewea I 5k 3440a v Charles IE7? poeze T 511 11 yliomww 4 NITED Terms CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE, OF CHICAGO, ILLIN S.

POWER-CONNECTION FOR RAILWAY-TRAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 350,221, dated October 5, 86.

Application filed April "28, 1886. Serial No. 200,472. (No model.)

always in 11 passed axles of otorcar,

of the car in such a manner as to b a condition of tension, and is t around the grooved pulleys R on s the siqJpOrting-Wheels, and on the To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. VAN DE- POELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Imalso around the drivingpulley of e motor. provements in Power-Connections forElectric- It will be readily understood tha ith this Railway Trains, of which the following is a construction the power of the mo r applied description. directly to the cable or rope will b transmit- My invention relates to improvements in ted to the wheels of each car, or s u of them electric railways; and it consists, chiefly, in so as are connected thereto, and by table deto connecting all the wheels of all or a considervices from one car to another thro bout the able portion of the cars composing the train train. The connections between e powerthat the power necessary to propel said cars transmitting devices of each car are arranged ment bell be unreinafter as to allow the cars freedom of mo tween all the cars of the train, as derstood from their construction, explained.

At each end of each car, mounte tical pins S so as to be capable of tion thereon, is an iron plate or f l the outer end of which is formed 0 hollow bearing, within which is mo ley, q, formed with a square hole center. On the lower ends of th coiled springs t, supporting the fr lever, U, is suitably pivoted to th and connected to each of the pulle by means whereof, in making up or both of the said frames can be e' or lowered, so as to pass above and other, in which position (shown i square pin, 1", is passed through the erture of both pulleys, connecting t the rotary movement of one will b to the other, and thence by the ro wheels, and so on throughout. A leys have been coupled, as just des weight thereof will be distributed u two sets of springs t, and the conne frames be supported without any g even strain on either one. The s wheels B 0 being all connected by cables Q under the cars, and the ca car being connected to the next, is applied to any one of the cables as, for instance, by the said cab around the driving-pulley of the m of the wheels will be positively dri same time and to the same extent, fore other connection will not be may be applied from any one point and con veyed by a series of positive connections to all the wheels so connected,whereby I am enabled to gain the desired amount of traction, and so insure the movement of the wheels and cars along the track without being compelled to provide an enormously heavy motor car or locomotive having sufficient tractive power in itself to draw the entire train after it. The advantages of such an arrangement are great, for by dispensing with the weight of the locomotive the strength of bridges and such other structures forming part of the railway need not be any greater than is sufficient to safely carry a train of cars of a weight suited to the requirements of the traffic, whatever that may be, and it will be found particularly suited to suburban street-railways, where two or more cars are used and the grades are frequently more difficult than those of an ordinary steamrailway.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the runninggear of two cars connected by a flexible power-transmitting device consisting of an endless cable. Fig. 2 is an end View thereof, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the connections.

Similarletters denote like parts throughout.

A represents the track, upon which are two cars, represented by two pairs of wheels, B and G, and the frames B and O. A motor, H, is mounted upon one of the cars, and each one of the axles E of the supporting-wheels, or a sufficient number of them, is provided with a grooved pulley, R, secured thereto. Under each car is permanently situated an endless steel cable, Q, which is supported at each end pon vertical moe, T, in ecured a ed a pulough its ins S are es T. A ar-frame ames T, rain, one er raised low each Fig. 3) a ntral apm,so that onveyed Q to the r the pulibed, the ween the d pulleyat or unportinge endless e of each n power ropes passing r Hall n at the d thereequired, 100

simple buffer springs W being provided for smoothness of connection; but mechanical couplings can be added, if desired.

It will be obvious that various changes and alterations may be made in the structure and arrangement of the devices hereinbefore described without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1S-

1. In a system of electric railways, the combination, with two or more cars, of a powertransmitting cable mounted under each car, a positive yielding connection between each section of the powertransmitting devices, and mechanical connections between the cable and the axes of the supporting-wheels, as set forth.

2. In asystem of electric railways, the combination, with two or more cars, of a powertransmitting cable under each car, a'positive vertically-yielding connection between each section of the cable, mechanical connections between the cable and the axles of the supporting-wheels, and means, as described, for imparting rotary motion to one section of the power transmitting devices, substantially as set forth.

3. In a system of electric railways, the combination of two or more cars, vertically-yielding pulleys at each end of said cars, couplingpins adapted to pass through the axes thereof, and thereby rotatively unite the pulleys of adjacentcars, suitable endless cables extending between the pulleys on each car, and connections, as described, between the endless cable and the axles of the supportingwheels, as set forth. 7

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES J. VAN DEPOELE. Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. GABONEY, CHARLES STEPHENSON. 

